"Samael… Samael? Samael!"
"Huh? Oh—yeah, I'm here!"
"My dear husband, what were you thinking about just now? You looked completely distracted."
Seated upright upon the throne of the Land of Shadows, the Ice Goddess frowned slightly, her eyes studying him.
"What else could it be? Even the Divine Spirit of Deception got played by you. Your choices are always so unexpected… like back then, when you were choosing a spouse among the gods and somehow landed on me."
Samael looked as if he'd been caught off guard by the joke. He pressed a hand to his forehead and shook his head with a helpless sigh.
In Jotunheim, one of the Nine Realms, there were not only the Frost Giants who formed its main populace, but also a branch of mountain giants.
Thjazi was a renowned powerhouse among them. Unlike the typical mountain giants, who were blunt and straightforward, he had long coveted the apples of youth in Asgard's sacred garden, as well as the beautiful Youth Goddess Iðunn herself.
Later, Thjazi found his chance. He captured Loki and coerced the God of Trickery into helping him lure Iðunn out. Thjazi then transformed into a vulture and carried off both the Youth Goddess and the apples of youth.
Only when the gods began to grow old did they realize something was wrong. After tracing the matter step by step, they arrested the accomplice, Loki.
Left with no other option, Loki put on the "eagle-feather cloak" he had borrowed from the Beauty Goddess Freya and took the form of a bird. While Thjazi was away and Iðunn was alone, he turned the goddess into a small nut-like fruit and hid her on his person, fleeing all the way back toward Asgard.
But Thjazi pursued relentlessly. In the end, driven by greed, he fell into the Aesir gods' trap and was burned to death before the fortress of Asgard.
And the Ice Goddess Skadi, now residing in the Land of Shadows, was none other than Thjazi's daughter.
When she learned that her father had been killed by the gods, Skadi fully armed herself and stormed Asgard's Golden Palace. The gods, wary of her valor, sought reconciliation. They proposed a wager: if they could make the unsmiling Ice Goddess laugh just once, old grievances would be set aside.
After they won the wager, Odin raised the lingering will Thjazi had left behind into the heavens, turning it into a star so it would endure forever. To compensate Skadi, he also promised she could choose a husband from among the gods.
After all, her father had been in the wrong first, and Skadi understood that by herself she could never defeat the combined Aesir and Vanir. She was willing to compromise.
To keep things fair and avoid bruising the gods' pride, they covered themselves with cloaks and revealed only their feet, allowing Skadi to choose at random.
Back when that conflict broke out, Samael had coincidentally just infiltrated Asgard for a private talk with Odin. That was how he ended up trapped inside the Golden Palace and included as one of the "candidates."
"So? Did my choice surprise you?"
Skadi lifted a hand to prop up her chin, asking with mild curiosity.
"How could it not? You walked circles around the hall again and again, didn't decide until nearly dusk… and then you picked a non-human like me."
"That's because they all showed bare feet. Under your cloak was a tail."
"So when you were told to choose a husband, you hugged a snake out of all the gods?"
"Isn't that interesting?"
"Fine. As long as you're happy. Still, being favored by the Goddess of Winter makes me the luckiest one among the gods… and fortunately I'm tough enough not to get chopped to pieces by that pack of jealous bastards."
Seeing that half-serious, half-teasing look on Skadi's face, Samael could only give a weary, crooked smile.
"If you die, I will bury you… and avenge you."
"Speaking of which, if I'm already dead and cold, could you at least put on a show? Cry a little, so it looks like you're sad?"
"I will not shed tears for you. It is like a human stepping on an ant. Most would find it difficult to feel guilt or grief. Things that are too small and fragile are destined not to last in the world of the gods, so why mourn them?"
The Ice Goddess thought for a moment, then tilted her head and answered with complete seriousness.
"If you hadn't said that last part, I might've actually been touched…"
Feeling as if he'd been stabbed straight through the heart, Samael clutched his chest and sank back onto a bench, rolling his eyes as he complained weakly.
She looked cold and distant, but sometimes she was oddly out of sync.
After the marriage selection, this miserable snake had been picked up by Skadi and carried back to Jotunheim, where he was kept like a free-range pet for a while.
Only when Skadi happened to remember him would the Ice Goddess spare the time to come over and handle his scales for a bit. Most days, she barely paid him any attention at all.
As for the reason, Skadi hadn't said it outright, but Samael, sharp as ever, could piece it together easily enough.
In simple terms, the Aesir had killed her biological father. Though both sides eventually reconciled through wagers and concessions, the fact remained.
Odin presiding over her marriage selection could be seen as compensation, or as pressure. If Skadi agreed to wed one of the gods, it would effectively mean she, on behalf of the mountain giants, acknowledged submission to the ruling order led by the Aesir.
This was a goddess who had marched alone into Asgard, weapon in hand, to avenge her father. She had her own pride.
Though she could not refuse Odin's "goodwill," she would rather grab a snake and make a choice that shocked everyone than accept a fate laid out for her.
What Skadi hadn't anticipated was that the husband she had casually seized to silence the gods would turn out far more outstanding than she had imagined.
The Serpent that Encircles the World… a deceiver spoken of in the same breath as Loki… the one who helped the Aesir imprison the Fire Giant King Surtr…
The strongest divine being in Jotunheim. The new king jointly acknowledged by the Frost Giants and the mountain giants.
In just a few thousand years, that once-small snake had grown to such heights, even surpassing her. It was astonishing.
From her throne, the Goddess of Winter gazed quietly at her husband. Recalling everything he had experienced, even her usually placid heart stirred with a faint sigh.
But the ripple passed as quickly as it came.
Skadi swept the stray thoughts from her mind, stretched lazily, and spoke in an offhand tone.
"If there's nothing else, let's end it here. I'd like to take a bath."
"Wait. Shouldn't you be the one traveling with the fleet? How did it turn into Queen Scáthach? What's going on?"
As the Magecraft array began to waver, Samael braced himself and asked the question, well aware he was treading on thin ice.
Still, the wily serpent left himself an out. His wording was deliberately vague, and he emphasized the title "Queen" when referring to Scáthach, keeping a subtle distance.
"Oh, that…"
Skadi covered her lips with the back of her hand and yawned, answering casually.
"I heard the foreign land you're heading to is a region where the Age of Gods has faded. Magecraft will be greatly weakened there. Scáthach's martial prowess can maintain a higher level of effectiveness, so she'll go in my place to ensure your safety.
In exchange, while she's gone, I'll oversee the Land of Shadows and coordinate affairs in Jotunheim. I may be a bit busy lately."
Warmth flickered in Samael's chest.
This woman might seem aloof and occasionally out of sync in daily life, rarely smiling, but she was cold on the surface and warm at heart.
The reason he had passed through his vulnerable early years safely and smoothly taken control of Jotunheim owed not only to Fenrir and Hela's subtle roles, but above all to Skadi's protection and unwavering support.
But then his mind flashed back to the alluring curves still lying in his bed.
A bead of cold sweat formed.
Even so, he clenched his teeth and cautiously pressed further.
"Then why did you two switch appearances?"
"Because it's fun. I've never played another role before. Experiencing a different life sounded interesting."
Skadi answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
…
Did you ever consider that your dear husband might become part of that 'experience'? That the other participant might be shouting, "Your husband is amazing"?
Samael's expression stiffened, dark lines practically forming across his forehead as he seethed inwardly.
"We also made a wager. Whoever's disguise lasts the longest gets to be the older sister."
Skadi paused, then idly revealed this additional agreement.
As the Goddess of Winter, embodying destruction, frost, and desolation, she was considered—according to certain legends—to share a common origin with Scáthach, the Queen of the Land of Shadows.
If they shared an origin, then there should be a matter of seniority. Settling it through a little game was harmless entertainment.
Samael pondered for a moment, then asked carefully.
"So you contacted me because…"
"Yes. I lost. The suspicious ghosts recognized me yesterday. Though they've been fairly obedient."
The Goddess of Winter yawned again as she informed him of the outcome. Then, as if it were an afterthought, she asked casually,
"By the way, where's Scáthach?"
Inside the flagship's main control room, Samael froze completely.
Cold sweat poured down his forehead.